Dear family and friends of Level10 Church,

Contemplating this week’s letter and wanting to be relevant to the issues of the day, I have become aware that people are increasingly desperate to know outcomes! To know or to perceive, understand, recognise and be able to comprehend situations we face each day. The frustration of lack of knowledge and uncertainty with the resurgence of the Covid-19 virus is certainly not causing stability and confidence – only more confusion!

In God’s Word in Psalm 46 v 10 God mentions the word ‘know’. This is a verse in the bible that impacts in two ways, firstly God says ‘be still and know that I am God’ and secondly God makes the prophetic statement ‘I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth’. Be assured, God reigns above the coronavirus, over the economy and over every trauma and situation we face – this is where we find our stillness and peace. God has not lost control, there is a reason for this season!

Have you noticed the words SILENT and LISTEN are made up of the same letters? In this manic, pressurised season how important are these two words. Mother Teresa said:

“We need to find God, and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls. ”

How true this is so, let’s ‘Practice the Pause’! When in doubt pause, when angry pause, when tired pause, when stressed pause and, most importantly, when you pause PRAY! Friends, as God’s people we can be very zealous to show love and concern for others but, as a friend wisely said this week, ‘God gave us two ears and two eyes but only one mouth!’

How important it is we listen and observe twice as much as we speak. A tongue has no bones but it can break a heart. A mouth should have three gatekeepers all called ‘IS IT’ Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? Words are free but it is how we use them that may cost us and others.

May God help us all to be so aware that He has called us to be the light in darkness and a voice in the wilderness by the leading of His Holy Spirit in us. May we be able to strengthen the weak, open the eyes of the blind, set captives free and may we desire to see people responding in hope, may our words bring life and encouragement and blessing.

May God’s Word to us in the bible cause us to rise in the Holy Spirit to be anointed and fruitful, effective and inspirational to all we meet and dwell amongst.

Much love in Jesus
Terry (elder)